Category Archives: Local Events

Powder Valley Nature Center presents a special concert by the band Shortleaf, featuring Mike and Tenley Fraser, on Friday, Sept. 6 at 7 p.m. The evening of music and storytelling offers a unique connection to nature and the Missouri Ozarks. Photo: MDC

The Missouri Department of Conservation’s (MDC) Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center invites you to discover nature through music.  The nature center will present a special concert by the band Shortleaf, featuring Mike and Tenley Fraser on Friday, Sept. 6 at 7 p.m.  The performance promises an enjoyable mix of entertainment and education suitable for the whole family.

Mike, an accomplished Ozark fiddler, and partner, Tenley, are a husband-wife duo who specialize in performing traditional music of the Ozarks.  Honoring a long-time heritage of music and storytelling, the two use tales of Ozark history and Scots-Irish culture to create an engaging blend of songs and spoken word.  The Scots-Irish people settled in the hardscrabble Ozarks after migrating west from the Appalachian country and gave the region much of its unique character.

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Calling all junior explorers! Join us for outdoor learning and fun on Saturday, Aug. 24, at 10 a.m.! In this free, interpreter-led program, participants will engage in hands-on activities to explore the great outdoors.

This program is designed for families with young children, and the event will take place entirely outdoors. Participants are encouraged to wear weather-appropriate clothing that they are comfortable after getting dirty or wet.

Explorers should meet at the playground in the picnic area located at 1800 Seckman Road in Imperial.

Coopers Landing invites the community to experience, learn and enjoy Conservation EXPO 2024, a weekend educational event dedicated to showcasing a variety of non-profit organizations and initiatives with the mission to advance Missouri conservation education and stewardship of the environment.

The event is admission-free and open to the public and is scheduled for Saturday, September 7, 9am till 4pm, and Sunday, September 8, 10am till 3pm at Coopers Landing, 11505 Smith Hatchery Road, located on the Katy Trail and the shore of the Missouri River.  Parking is available along Smith Hatchery Road in addition to off-site parking supported by shuttle service.

The EXPO features informative exhibits by over 25 organizations and community initiatives including local and state agencies, education institutions, and other conservation supportive non-profits.  Conservation EXPO welcomes rural and urban landowners, citizens engaged with community conservation initiatives and projects searching for resource information and participation opportunities.

In addition to the educational exhibits, Saturday features boat rides on the Missouri River hosted by Missouri River Relief as well as morning children’s crafts hosted by Adrienne.  Sunday features pony rides for the children hosted by Blair’s Barn of Ashland.

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Discover Nature with MDC at the Missouri State Fair Aug. 8 – 18. Visit MDC’s Conservation Building and enjoy special programs such as the Raptors of Missouri presentation with Dickerson Park Zoo on Aug. 8. Photo: MDC

Discover nature with the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) at the Missouri State Fair in Sedalia Aug. 8 – 18. Visit the MDC Conservation Building from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. and the MDC Xplor Zone for kids from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. to see live fish and other native animals such as snakes, turtles, and amphibians.

Learn about and see displays of native plants that help butterflies and other important pollinators. Ask MDC staff conservation-related questions, get educational materials, and have fun.

Join MDC on Friday, Aug. 9, for Missouri Department of Conservation Day — a full day of fun and excitement sponsored by MDC!

For more information, visit mostatefair.com.

Enjoy these free conservation-related programs at MDC’s outdoor pavilion: See schedule below.

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Photo: MDC

The Missouri Department of Conservation’s (MDC) George O. White Tree Nursery in Licking is currently purchasing seed from the public for a variety of tree and shrub species within southeast Missouri.

“The nursery conducts seed collections annually, and collected seeds are grown into bare root seedlings,” said MDC Community Forester Jennifer Behnken. “The nursery will stop accepting seed once the quota has been reached for that tree or shrub, so please contact us beforehand if you have questions.”

In southeast Missouri, collected seeds can be brought to MDC’s Southeast Regional Office (Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.) and the Cape Girardeau Conservation Nature Center (Tuesday – Saturday, 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.)

Seeds currently being accepted are below (prices are by the pound of fruit):

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by Don Corrigan

You can deepen your understanding of pollinators and their pivotal role in our ecosystem when Nicole Miller-Struttmann showcases community efforts to assist our buzzing bee friends at Webster Groves Public Library.

Her program is scheduled for Tuesday, June 4, at 7 p.m. at the library. Miller-Struttmann is an associate professor of biology at Webster University and has a special interest in pollinators.

She will explain how you can support pollinators in your own back yard. Whether you’re a nature lover or looking to make a positive ecological impact, this talk will offer practical tips on the work of or pollinator friends in Webster Groves and beyond.

Miller-Struttmann grew up in Webster Groves and became interested in nature at an early age. Her parents were gardeners and were also very interested in being “green” and protecting the environment.

She said her parents’ influence led her to becoming an ecologist, and as a graduate student she won a student scholarship from the Webster Groves Nature Study Society. She went on to receive a doctorate at Washington University.

“I am very pleased to report that one of my own students, Esha Vij, has received a scholarship from the Webster Groves Nature Study Society,” said Miller-Struttmann. “It’s wonderful to have that local resource.”

After receiving her advanced degrees, Miller-Struttmann did her post-doctorate work on wild bees. She realized that the flighty critters could become her life’s work.
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Photo: MDC

The invasion is happening! Once in more than a decade, millions of red-eyed, buzzing bugs are or will soon be just about everywhere in much of Missouri! Mass emergences of millions of periodical cicadas, which happen every 13 or 17 years, are happening this spring.

The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) invites everyone to join its free, online Wild Webcast on the Cicadapocalypse on Thursday, May 23, from noon to 1 p.m. – Registration link below.

The Wild Webcast will feature MDC Urban Wildlife Biologist Erin Shank who will share her expertise and excitement on the happening or pending mass emergences of periodical cicadas. Periodical cicadas are different from the familiar annual cicadas, which emerge from the ground every year and make their droning noise during the heat of late summer.

The Wild Webcast will answer many questions on the mass emergences of periodical cicadas. What are annual and periodical cicadas and how are they different? What will be happening, when, and where? Why is it happening and how do they know? When did this last happen and when will it happen next? Do they bite? What do they eat? What eats them? Do they hurt trees and plants? What is the life cycle? What do you do with the masses of shells and carcasses?

Register in advance at mdc.webex.com/weblink/register/rd6d7e500bd1293a82eebd4db2f9038a5. You will then receive an email confirmation before the event that includes information on how to join the Wild Webcast live on May 23 at noon.

Photo: MDC

Attention scouts of all stripes.  The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) invites you to MDC’s Annual St. Louis Regional Spring Scouting Event and Family Fun Day on Saturday, May 18 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center in Kirkwood.  This is an event for all nature lovers too.

Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts of America, and American Heritage Girls are all welcome.  But the event is also open to any families interested in discovering and learning more about nature and the outdoors.  Affiliation with a scouting program is not required to attend.

This Scouting event is free and will offer Scouts and their families the opportunities to test their outdoor skills, work toward several conservation-related merit badges and explore the diversity of career opportunities with MDC. Registration is required for the event – see below.

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Photo: MDC

Experience the sensations of a beautiful spring morning, in sight, sound and taste.

The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) presents Breakfast with the Birds and Blooms, a free program Saturday, May 18 from 8 – 11 a.m. at Rockwoods Reservation in Wildwood.  The event is open to all ages and will be held at the visitor center.

Visitors will get the chance to explore the newly renovated native wildflower gardens around the visitor center and enjoy a free doughnut and a cup of shade-grown, bird-friendly coffee.  Naturalists will be available to share information about the Missouri native flowers and how visitors can grow them in their own yards or container gardens.

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